


Guiltless Dreams

by Phelpsgirlxxx



Series: Elysium [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Elysium, F/M, Grief, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29566887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phelpsgirlxxx/pseuds/Phelpsgirlxxx
Summary: Annabeth dreams of Nico.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Series: Elysium [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2155464
Kudos: 49





	Guiltless Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, hope you like this.
> 
> The next installment in this series will be Solangelo and their meeting in Elysium but yeah :)
> 
> Also I've currently been going on random rants about Nico on tumblr, in defence of him of course but yeah.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Edited as I realised the age gap would be bigger if I did it how I originally intended, it didn't even occur to me for some reason. So now Nico is 11 (as he was when he died) and Will will be 12. Nothing obviously will happen, they'll kinda just be like dating when you're that age where it's like nothing but being best friends kinda. I don't know how to explain it.

The war was done.

Percy had turned sixteen, Kronos had been defeated and everything was done, people had died, the funerals were over, new cabins were being built, but everything felt wrong. The only solace Percy had was Annabeth.

Annabeth seemed to understand. It was unspoken between them, but as they walked hand in hand towards the lake, one they’d been thrown in only days prior when they’d kissed and Clarisse had caught them. The silence between them was heavy for everything left unspoken, but Annabeth knew Percy would talk when he was ready.

As they came to rest on the dock, Annabeth took Percy’s hand in her own once more, as they stared across the lake as the sun began to set.

“It hurts.” Percy finally whispered, turning to look at his girlfriend with tears in his eyes.

Annabeth ran her thumb across the back of Percy’s hand, waiting for him to clarify, but she knew what he was talking about. It was the same thing that he’d been squashing down for the past year, and now it was creeping up on him and he didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t entirely sure either, for once she didn’t have a concrete plan.

“He should be here.” Percy whispered.

“I know.” Annabeth murmured, her eyes resting softly on her boyfriend.

“They’re making him a cabin, and he deserves it, gods he deserves it, but he’s not even here. He should be here to enjoy it. He should have known…” Percy broke off as he tried to stifle a sob.

“I’m sure he knows. Wherever he is, he knows.”

“Elysium.” Percy muttered.

“He is?”

“Yeah. He visited me with Bianca in his dreams last year, it was their idea for me to bathe in the Styx.”

Annabeth nodded. Nico deserved Elysium, she was glad he got it. She was glad he was back with his sister, the person the poor boy had cared for more than anything in the world. She hoped he was happy.

“I’m sure he knows.” Annabeth repeated softly.

“I know, but it’s too late. If he’d have had a cabin before, if he’d have felt accepted then maybe he wouldn’t have been so willing… perhaps he’d still be alive. He sacrified himself for me to stop Kampe killing me. If I’d have been quicker…” 

“Percy, you can’t blame yourself. We can’t think about what ifs, they’ll kill us.” Annabeth told him, staring deep into his eyes.

The son of Poseidon had silent tears rolling down his face, and she was fairly sure hers were the same. It was so painful to think about Nico di Angelo, and Bianca too. The two had deserved way more than they’d got in life, things should have been better for them. Instead they’d been trapped in a hotel for seventy years, and within two years of leaving had each died painful deaths to protect them.

“I know, and I’ve been trying not to, but ever since the war my dreams have been filled with dying images of Nico. Gods he was so young Annabeth, he was eleven years old…he had his whole life ahead of him.”

Annabeth sighed, she knew he was right. Nico was the youngest casualty of the war. Most demigods didn’t even know they were demigods until around twelve or thirteen, and likely wouldn’t be at camp until they were a teenager. Nico had never had that option. Instead he’d spent months living on the streets, starving and alone, before dying to protect a camp that never accepted him.

“I know Perce, I know. I wish… I wish things had been different. Maybe in the months he was gone, if I’d have looked harder, maybe if I hadn’t asked him to come back to camp with us…”

“Wisegirl, none of this is your fault. You couldn’t have known.”

“Neither could you Seaweed Brain. We couldn’t have known he’d die if he came with us. We couldn’t have known he’d sacrifice himself for us by distracting Kampe.”

“I know...I know, I just feel guilty. I can’t help imagining him as the ten year old who was so excited by mythomagic and being a demigod. He was so excited, and then everything went wrong for him. Bianca died and he was alone. I saw how different he looked when we saw him again, I saw how sick he looked. I should have done something.”

Percy was sobbing, his breath catching in his throat, and Annabeth leapt forward, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend, pulling him down to her shoulder, rocking him slightly as he wept, her own soft tears falling into his black hair.

Nico deserved better, and she felt the guilt just as strongly as her boyfriend, but she wanted to be strong, but it was hard. Nico had clearly not been healthy in the last few months of his life, physically or mentally, and they’d brushed it aside as him being an angsty preteen even though they knew where his depression stemmed from. They’d criticised him for trusting Minos, for wanting to bring Bianca back, for some of his actions, but he’d saved them. He’d been eleven years old and alone. They should have shown him they cared for him. They did care for him, and she wished she’d been better at showing it.

His sister had died on a quest to save her and Artemis from having to hold up the sky, but she’d been so focused on being concerned for Luke that she’d not focused on Nico, a child who was suffering so heavily. Annabeth couldn’t help herself, thinking of all the times she could have said something different, showed the son of Hades that she cared, because she did. She’d spent months trying to catch word of him and had failed to hear anything, and once she had, once they’d caught up with him at Geryon’s ranch she hadn’t told him.

She should have told him.

Gods she should have told him.

When Percy finally pulled back, he carefully ran the pad of his thumb under Annabeth’s eyes, wiping away her tears and smiling sadly at her.

“Sorry Wisegirl.”

“You don’t need to apologise Seaweed Brain, I understand.”

He smiled weakly at her, taking her hand into his own once more and staring across the water at the setting sun.

“It’s beautiful.” Annabeth murmured, laying her head on Percy’s shoulder.

Percy just hummed, wrapping an arm around her.

PJOHOOTOA.

Annabeth blinked as she appeared in a field of golden wheat. In the centre was a large green tree, which waved slightly in the soft breeze. Underneath the tree she couldn’t help but notice the child laid beneath the tree, his eyes closed, his face peaceful.

The daughter of Athena wandered closer, her pace steady as she basked in the peace flowing over her.

As she finally came close enough, she let a soft whisper escape her mouth.

“Nico.”

The boy immediately opened his eyes, and beamed at her, pushing himself up slightly against the trunk.

Nico looked happier than she’d ever seen him, plus he looked healthy once more. The pale palour of his skin had been replaced with the tan he’d had when she’d first met him, his bones were no longer obviously jutting out though he was still quite skinny, and his eyes were no longer broken. A childlike glimmer had returned.

“Hi Annabeth.”

Annabeth smiled, taking a seat next to him.

“Did you call me here?” She asked him softly.

“No, I haven’t appeared to nearly anyone since Percy and Clarisse last summer. I’m not sure why you’re here.”

“Oh.”

For a few moments they sat in silence, but it was nice. 

“How’ve you been Nico?” She asked softly.

“Good. I’m happy here, I have Bianca and my Mama. I have friends too. Everything’s great even though I’m waiting.”

“Waiting?” She asked softly.

“Mmm. I’m waiting.”

Annabeth frowned.

“What are you waiting for Nico?”

The son of Hades pushed himself up slightly once more, and looked in her direction, a soft smile on his face.

“My soulmate.”

It only took a few moments for the daughter of Athena to recall Plato’s story of the soulmates. She’d never given it much thought, but it made sense. She was fairly sure if soulmates were real, Percy was hers.

“Soulmates are real?” She asked softly.

“Mmm, everyone has a soulmate, although they’re not always romantic of course. If you don’t find them in life you’ll find them in death, especially if you both get Elysium.”

“Do you know who your soulmate is?”

“I do, but I can’t tell you. If I tell you, things will change. You can’t tell him, and I don’t want to put pressure on you about that.”

Him.

Annabeth noticed the pronouns but she didn’t say anything, she didn’t want to make the boy uncomfortable. 

“How long do you think you’ll be waiting?” She asked softly.

“A few weeks. I wish I could tell you, I wish you could help him, but I can’t change fate. In a few weeks he’ll die and he’ll join me here. I can’t wait to meet him properly, but I don’t want him to die. I could wait longer. He has so much potential to have such a good life.”

“I’m sorry that he’s going to die soon.”

“It’s okay, but I feel sorry for him. He won’t be the only one that day.”

“How do you know all this?”

Nico leant his head back against the trunk of the tree, staring into the branches of the tree.

“One of my friends is a son of Apollo who died around the time I did. He has the power of prophecy, he sees snippets. Some of them change, like I was meant to meet my soulmate properly before death, but that didn’t happen. His fate however is set in stone.”

“Your friend… is he Lee Fletcher?”

“Yeah. He’s older than me, but we’re friends. He’s nice.”

“He is.”

Silence fell again, and Annabeth couldn’t help but wonder why she was there. What had called her to Nico?

“Percy’s your soulmate by the way.” He casually informed her.

Her heart leapt into her chest.

“He is?”

“Mmm, I used to be jealous.”

“Jealous?”

“Mmm, I had a crush on Percy.”

For a moment a rush of memories leapt to Annabeth’s mind. The absolute anger Nico had held towards Percy but his willingness to do anything for him. He’d revealed who he was to Kronos saving the son of Poseidon’s life. He’d sacrificed himself to Kampe to protect him.

“Oh. That explains a lot.”

“Mmm, I’m long over it of course. My soulmate…” He didn’t say anymore but blushed heavily.

Annabeth just smiled.

“I’m glad. I’m sure whoever your soulmate is will like you a lot.”

“He already does.” Nico breathed.

“What?”

“Lee told me he already liked me before I died, hard to believe I know.”

“No! That’s not hard to believe Nico, lots of people cared for you.”

Nico laughed lightly, but it was not harsh.

“Percy and I… we cared for you a lot. We just wish we’d told you.”

Nico looked at her and he honestly did look surprised, and it made Annabeth’s heart ache. She hadn’t been aware that he didn’t know.

“You do?”

“Of course we do. We’ve missed you a lot.”

Nico frowned at her for a moment before resting his head against the tree again.

“You’re feeling guilty.” He murmured.

“Yes.” There was no point in lying to him, he’d know.

“You don’t need to.”

“But if we had been faster with Kampe or if I hadn’t persuaded you to come back to camp-”

“Annabeth, it’s okay. I died, and I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I have Mama here, and I have Bianca. Things are good for me. Maybe I died for you and Percy, but that’s okay. You saved the world together.”

“But-”

“It’s okay. Death isn’t scary Annabeth. I made the decisions I made without even knowing what would happen to me. I’d make the same decision again.”

Annabeth fell silent for a few moments.

“Thank you Nico.”

He smiled at her.

“I don’t blame you, neither does Bianca, nor does my Mama.”

“Thank you.” Annabeth reiterated.

The two sat in silence for a few moments before Nico turned to her again.

“I think you’re going to wake up soon Annabeth. Tell Percy what I said, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’ll see you again someday.” He said, nodding to himself.

“Goodbye Nico.”

“Goodbye Annabeth.”

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos if you like and comment it really makes my day.


End file.
